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I think that QR codes are going to be useful. Not so much while in the store, but more so when we bring the plants home and want to get more information on plant care. You are right - the usefulness depends upon where the code takes you. I bought an orchid this spring that had a QR code on the tag and when I got home I was hoping to find more information on how to make the blooms last longer. The code took me to their regular website that was designed to be viewed on a computer and not a phone. It was impossible to read as the graphics kept merging with the text. The experience was not a good one. Let's hope that the growers that use them direct people to a site designed to be viewed on a smart phone.

I'm also curious as to where the codes will take you. It would be quite cool if every single plant was eventually assigned a code! I'm still adding more plants to the wiki plant encyclopedia on and hope more and more gardeners will join in the effort. It could easily become the most comprehensive source of free content gardening information - much like Wikipedia has become for general information.

Thanks for the garden app suggestions. I have been starting to look for some myself for identification, and am using the MyFolia web app to link to my Folia account for organizing.

Books aren't as easy to carry around in your pocket. I haven't had my Android phone for very long but I did find it helpful recently when wanting to buy some agaves and aloes. Being able to do a quick internet search to see how large they would get and what the flowers would look like was pretty neat.

I love the Dirr app, but can't wait 'til they make it for the Ipad. Sure you can run it on the Ipad, but it's iphone sized. I use this all the time when working with clients, and the first thing they say is "I wish the picture were larger." At least I can email it to them from the phone so they can see it that way!

Am also hoping Timber creates Flora as an app.

And, we definitely need a good site evaluation sketching program -- not too fancy, but something that really works well in the field.

Hey, that's not asking for too much, is it? ;)

Can't you just see it! A entire field trip of high school students wandering around the botanic garden fixated on their cell phones... oh wait! That's already happening.

Robin, this isn't a perfect solution (and it may be something you already know), but if you hit the "2X" button at the bottom of the screen on the iPad, the image will expand to fit the screen.

Chanti: thank you. Yes, I do know this, but it just blurs everything when it blows it up. It doesn't scale (yet, right?!)

Robin - Yes, true story, no scaling yet. Sorry! But good to get feedback. The more we get, and the more successful the Dirr app is, the more likely we are to come out with New and Improved Versions. Thanks!

First (sorry) I don't know what a QR (quick response)code is. Could you clarify?

Second, I doubt I'd use this code. I don't own a cell phone and you probably need one for it. So I guess I'll continue to get my info. through books, word-of-mouth, and the Internet.

@Laura, a QR code is a square bar code (like the b&w one in the illustration for this article).

You do, indeed, need a cellphone with a camera to use them.

The QR code can represent a URL or text, and the idea is that you scan it with your phone and then you can read the text or visit the website quickly. All without having to type in anything on your phone.

Hope that helps.

I love my iPhone for gardening, but I don't have a single gardening app on it. I just stand in the garden center and pull up Google, then punch in the name of the plant I'm interested in, to find out A) if it's native and B) if not, is it invasive in my area? (I've gotten burned a few too many times by nursery staff who were either misinformed or...well, let's just go with misinformed.)

It's also been handy for things like discovering that the wildflower bulbs at Lowes with the way-too-low price were almost certainly wild-harvested, by a company that had a terrible reputation.

Although I've never bothered with a QR code (and am a trifle skeptical of the information provided by the grower--bet you dollars to donuts, none of them will say "This plant is a pain in the ass to grow, needs constant attendance, and appears to be suicidal," even if it's TRUE) I think smartphones are a fantastic tool for the gardener.

I'm getting a glimmer of what these codes are but we are so backward in our area with only spotty cell service that I have not yet invested in a 'hand held'. Fortunately I have lots of books.

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